Visiting Normandy, France with AmaWaterways
Mr. B will be writing a number of articles while I’m working on our cookbook project with Chef Anthony Lamas. This is his recap piece about some of our travels through Normandy, France in April on board the elegant river cruise ship, the AmaLegro.
Normandy, France is synonymous with D-Day. No event captures the meaning of place more than Normandy. Truly one of the most dramatic events in human history took place on the beaches and in the towns of this coastal region of Northern France. Most of us remember that 455,000 men and women lost their lives during the Normandy campaign of World War II. On our recent trip to Normandy, in addition to spending time absorbing the significance of the liberation of France, Gwen and I spent time enjoying the bounty of this spectacular region.

View of our ship from the port town of Conflans

Farmland in Normandy

Cruising along The Seine River
In April, this past spring, we explored Normandy from the comfort of our floating accommodations on AmaWaterway’s beautiful river cruise along The River Seine. We started in Paris and stopped at numerous port towns as we headed north to Rouen. We visited Vernon and Giverney, Caudebec-en-Caux, Les Andelys, and Rouen as well as Conflans on our way back to Paris. One of the big advantages of a river cruise is that each day you have the opportunity to dock in a city, town, or village and truly experience the location. Independent or guided tours from the ship afford you the opportunity to get close to the local people and place so that you can really learn about the region.

The beautiful AmaLegro

Touring Normandy with our private guides

The views from our ship were stunning

The Archives Tower in Vernon dates back to the 12th century

The picturesque town of Honfleur
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Gwen Pratesi
Gwen Pratesi is a James Beard Foundation Award Finalist in Journalism and award-winning travel writer. She is the author and owner of PratesiLiving.com with her husband, coauthor of Southern Heat, and co-owner of On the Road Culinary Adventures, a culinary travel business. She is a contributor to the Travel section of U.S. News & World Report and freelances for other publications including The Points Guy, USA TODAY, Cruise Critic, Travel + Leisure, Garden & Gun, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Reader's Digest, Forbes Travel Guide, Smarter Travel, TripAdvisor, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine and World Travel Magazine. Her work has also been featured on MSN, Yahoo!, Business Insider, and SheKnows.
Gwen chronicles her love of international travel and experience as a professional home cook on PratesiLiving.com, where she shares the stories of some of the world's most sought-after destinations and cruise lines, highly regarded chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, wine and spirits producers and culinary artisans.
She and her husband traded in big city life in Atlanta for shorts and flip-flops on Fernandina Beach, Florida. They are enjoying the coastal lifestyle with their Tibetan Terrier, Rhythm.